Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Who's Voice Speaks to Keep Kids Alive?

Who or what speaks the loudest when it comes to making a difference in your driving behavior?

Is it the threat of a ticket if you speed, run a red light or stop sign, don’t buckle up, drink and drive, text, or tailgate?

Or, could the silence of one who no longer lives and breathes speak the loudest?

A child like Shaye Martin, hit and killed while walking to school on a sidewalk in a school zone.

A teenager like Cady Reynolds, all buckled up driving a friend home from a movie, when struck and killed by a distracted teen driver who runs a red light, changing lives and families forever.

A child like Kyle Foster, hit and killed by a teen neighbor while crossing the street on a Halloween night.

A teenager like Ashley Steffan, innocently standing in her driveway awaiting the school bus when hit and killed by a schoolmate driving almost 60 mph on her 25 mph residential street.

Children like Tia Townsend or Sierra Feaster, both struck and killed while crossing in a marked crosswalk.

These children cannot speak out loud to us today, but their lives, the families and friends they loved and who still love them speak volumes to us about what our behaviors should be every time we get behind the wheel.

In the midst of all the good that can come from technology, from engineering and enforcement, can we listen today to the silent voices that call us to educate ourselves and others about the real reasons why we practice safe driving behaviors?

Why?

Because we take to heart and answer the questions:

Who do you love?

Who loves you?

The answers to these two questions are the best reasons we will ever find to slow down, observe speed limits, buckle up, put away cell phones and all other distraction, not tailgate, obey every stop light, stop sign, and all other traffic signs and signals.

The best reasons are people - the ones we love, the ones who love us, and the ones we love who have died. Let’s listen to their silent pleas today, and each day, to please behave with safety and care in and around motor vehicles of every kind. The life saved may well be of someone we love. Let’s start today. For support in getting started, visit www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org.

GOOD NEWS & REMINDER!

Steve Nash of Granite Bay, California made the first donation to help get the KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® message curbside on trash cans. He will distribute KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®, Be Aware! Drive With Care®, and Check Your Speed®/No Need To Speed® trash can decals on International Safe Walk to School Day next Wednesday, October 6th.

Here’s how you can make trash talk in your community:

We are working to raise donations to provide trash can decals with the KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25® logo to distribute to neighborhoods and cities for free. The idea is to place decals on all curbside trash/recycling bins to alert motorists in neighborhoods to observe the posted speed limit, or go even slower when children, pedestrians, cyclists are present - or the weather is bad. The City of Oro Valley, AZ tried this, did a study, and saw a 13.5% decrease in average speeds on neighborhood streets - motorists driving at an average speed of less than 25 miles per hour. Let’s make this happen on every neighborhood street in America.

Who’s in your wallet? Look at the photos of those you love and those who love you. They are always the best reason to get involved in making your neighborhood streets safer for us all. Remember, over 90 families each day in America receive news that a loved one has died in a traffic incident. Let this be the day, and Keep Kids Alive be the way, that you help to reduce this number by 1, by 2, by 3, and eventually by 90+ each day. Your commitment, your efforts, and your support make the difference.

How do you benefit?

In addition to supporting the mission of KEEP KIDS ALIVE DRIVE 25®, for every level of donation, we say thank you in the following ways:

For every $10.00 donation, you receive 4 decals for your trash can(s)/recycling bin(s).

For every $25.00 donation, you receive 12 decals to begin sharing with neighbors.

About Me

I am the founder of "Keep Kids Alive Drive 25," a non-profit that targets traffic safety concerns on neighborhood streets, and beyond. We work with communities to develop comprehensive traffic safety initiatives that engage residents in being the solution to the problems we ourselves create - speeding, stop-sign running, tailgating, etc. A special part of our mission is working with families who have experienced the death of a loved one due to a traffic incident. Learn more at www.KeepKidsAliveDrive25.org